A case-control study of paternal and maternal age as risk factors in mood disorders

Abstract

Objective: Advanced parental age might constitute a risk factor for various disorders. We tested whether this concerns also mood disorder patients.

Methods: The study included 314 subjects (42 bipolar-BD patients; 21 manics and 21 depressives, 68 unipolar-UD, and 204 normal controls-NC). Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and the calculation of the Relative Risk (RR) and the Odds Ratio (OR) were used for the analysis.

Results: Paternal age differed between NC and UD patients (29.42 ± 6.07 vs. 32.12 ± 5.54; p = .01) and manics (29.42 ± 6.07 vs. 35.00 ± 5.75; p = .001) and maternal age between NC and manics (25.46 ± 4.52 vs. 31.43 ± 4.75; p < .001) and manic and UD (31.43 ± 4.75 vs. 26.75 ± 6.03; p = .002). The RR and OR values suggested that advanced parental age constitutes a risk factor for the development of mood disorders.

Conclusions: In a non-dose dependent and gender-independent, advanced parental age constitutes a risk factor for the development of BD with index episode of mania (probably manic predominant polarity); only advanced paternal age constitutes a risk factor for the development of UD and BD with index episode of depression (probably depressive predominant polarity). This is the first study suggesting differential effect of advanced parental age depending on predominant polarity of BD.

Keywords:

• Parental age
• paternal age
• maternal age
• bipolar disorder
• unipolar depression

Acknowledgments

Xenia Gonda is recipient of the Janos Bolyai Research Fellowship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and was supported by ÚNKP-18-4-SE-33 New National Excellence Program of the Ministry of Human Capacities.

Keypoints

• Advanced parental age is gender-independet and non dose-dependent a risk factor for bipolar disorder.

• Parental age is associated with predominant polarity in bipolar disorder.

• Advanced paternal and maternal age is risk factor for predominant manic polarity.

• Only advanced paternal but not maternal age is a risk factor for the development of unipolar depression.

Disclosure statement

KNF, XG, MS, PP and IN have recived honoraria and travel support to attend congresses from a number of pharmaceutical companies

SK Siegfried Kasper received grants/research support, consulting fees and/or honoraria within the last three years from Angelini, AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals AG, Celegne GmbH, Eli Lilly, Janssen-Cilag Pharma GmbH, KRKA-Pharma, Lundbeck A/S, Mundipharma, Neuraxpharm, Pfizer, Sanofi, Schwabe, Servier, Shire, Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co. Ltd. and Takeda.

KM has no conflict of interest

Acknowledgement: XG is recipient of the Janos Bolyai Scientific Fellowship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and was supported by ÚNKP-18-4-SE-33 New National Excellence Program of the Ministry of Human Capacities.